Finding What's Been Lost
by miley-avril
Summary: AU: When Snow and Emma are brought up from the hole at the refugee camp in FTL, they find Graham alive and well. Together, he, Snow, Emma, Aurora, and Mulan must find a way back to Storybrooke. Rated T for minor language. Gremma all the way.
1. Lost and Found

**SO I'VE GONE TO THE DARK SIDE: I ALSO SHIP WOODEN SWAN SINCE GREMMA IS LOOKING BLEAK IN TERMS OF ENDING UP CANON. THAT SAID, I'M STILL A DIE HARD GREMMA SHIPPER. I WANT TO THANK **_**tjmack**_** FOR PUSHING ME TO WRITE THIS. THANK YOU!**

**DON'T OWN ONCE UPON A TIME.**

Snow and Emma stand in the refugee camp, having just been brought up out of the hole. The sun was bright, but the blonde recognizes the hair immediately. She doesn't know how it's possible but isn't about to question the laws of… well, life.

"Graham!" She yells, voice high pitched and slightly disbelieving. Normally she'd cringe at how vulnerable she sounds, but she doesn't care. Some part of her brain thinks this is just some sick joke. But when the man responds, his accent confirms it: her true love is standing twenty feet away.

"Emma?" He begins walking toward her. "How did –what happened?"

"Stop talking." She commands, closing the distance and pulling him close. Their lips crash together. When the need of oxygen becomes too great, they break apart. "I should be asking you; you're the one who died."

"Let's not think about it. I'm here and we're together. That's all that matters." He glances around at the group of people who have formed. Snow walks over and hugs him.

"It's good to see you." The brunette says with a smile.

"You too, Snow." He returns the smile. "What's going on?"

"We need to get back to Storybrooke." Emma answers. "Henry, and dare I say it, _David_, are there."

"Oh right, he's your dad." Graham winces when Emma tenses. "Sorry, that probably wasn't the best thing to say."

"It's okay." She offers him a shaky smile. "Let's just, um, get going. Mary Margaret has an idea how to get back, but Cora's here and we can't talk about it in front of her."

"I agree." Snow nods. "Lancelot, can we go?"

"On one condition." The tall man says. "You will take my best warrior."

"We can protect ourselves." Emma protests. Graham squeezes her shoulder in an effort to keep her calm, but he chuckles slightly. Oh, his Emma.

"Deal." Snow says before her daughter can talk him out of it. "Thank you."

"Mulan!" He calls. Immediately, the warrior comes out, looking ready for battle.

"Yes?"

"You will be accompanying them."

"Yippee." The blonde mumbles. Graham squeezes her shoulder again.

"It's okay." He whispers.

"You step where I step and do as I say." Mulan says sharply. "If you do, you just might survive." On their way out of the safe haven, Emma says,

"I killed a dragon last week."

"Was the dragon trying to harm you?" Graham asks in an amused voice. Emma stops and crosses her arms, looking at him.

"What about the word makes you think they're friendly?"

"Cause if I didn't know you better, I'd say you have violent tendencies. First you break a town sign, then break Regina's face, and then you kill a dragon. Hmm."

"And a toaster." Snow helpfully supplies.

"Shut up."

"Who's he?" Aurora asks.

"Graham Humbert." He extends his hand, which she shakes. "And you are?"

"Aurora." She smiles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"O-kay." Emma draws the word out. "Not to be the hard ass here, but there _are_ more important things than introductions." Graham hides a smirk. She's jealous.

**OKAY, SO KIND OF A SHORT FIRST CHAPTER. I JUST WANTED TO SET THE STAGE FOR WHAT'S TO COME. THE NEXT CHAPTERS WILL BE LONGER AND MORE INTENSE. THANKS FOR READING, AND IF YOU HAVE TIME, FEEL FREE TO DROP A REVIEW!**


	2. Ogres

**THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND KIND WORDS! YOU'RE THE BEST. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I'VE STICKEN WITH SOME OF THE DIALOGUE, CHANGED SOME OF IT, AND ADDED MY OWN STUFF. **

**DON'T OWN IT. **

The sun is low in the sky when they finally stop walking.

"We'll set up camp here for tonight." Mulan says in her usual monotone voice.

"In a big, empty clearing? Aren't we supposed to be _hiding_ from the ogres?" Emma asks sarcastically.

"Ogres hunt by sound. It's best if we're away from leaves that we could crunch under our feet." Snow answers with a sureness Emma still gets surprised at.

"You and Aurora stay here while." Mulan nods towards the blonde. "The rest of us will get firewood."

"In the big, empty clearing?" The brunette clarifies.

"It's the safest place."

Emma protests, "I'm not six years old."

"Emma…" Snow tugs her daughter to the side. "I know you're out of your element here, and that's hard for you, but you just have to trust me."

"I'm fine."

"Please." Snow pleads. "For me."

"I–" Emma looks toward Graham. "Can I go with him?"

"Then Aurora might feel–"

"You guys take her. I'm compromising, Mary Margaret. You know Graham will _protect me_." She rolls her eyes. Snow thinks this over for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Alright. Thank you for being cooperative." She smiles. Emma laughs a little. "Change of plans. Graham and Emma will go together and we three will be a group."

"Wait, I didn't say this was okay." Mulan says.

"And I highly doubt you're the oldest one here." Emma takes the knife out of her boot, just in case a wild evil unicorn pops up. At this point, she's not putting anything past this land. "See you in a while." She stomps off in a random direction, and Graham follows with an apologetic shrug to the rest of the group.

"We'll get the branches, you guys get the kindling!" He calls, following the blonde. "Where are you going?"

"Away from them."

"Emma, wait. Hold on for a second." She stops and turns around, smiling at him.

"I missed you more than words can describe." She's never been one for poetics, but Graham is totally worth it.

"I missed you, too." He hugs her. "Life here has been _so_ dull without you to color it."

"I wish I could say the same." She sighs, then returns to walking.

"What happened?" Graham asks.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Emma…"

"Fine." She sits on a log. "I don't even know where to start."

"From the beginning." He suggests, taking a seat next to her. And it was just –H

"Well, I became Sheriff."

"I bet you're a great one." He smiles.

"Not as good as you." Emma says sadly. "Gold almost killed someone. A mysterious man named August W. Booth came to town. The W's for Wayne." She laughs as she remembers their conversation. "He almost killed Gold. Kathryn Nolan was kidnapped by… well, I never figured out who, but it was probably Gold as well. At first, everyone thought it was David–"

"Your father."

"Yeah. But then the evidence turned against Mary Margaret for a while there. It was a murder charge, Graham." Her voice broke, for the first time telling someone just how scared and hurt she was at the time. "I thought I was going to lose my best friend –the _only_ and first friend I've ever had." Snow had heard Emma talking and followed the sound. She stands behind the two a ways' away so she can't be seen, but she catches every word of the conversation. "That's why I can't… why I'm having such a hard time letting her in now. I don't want to lose my best friend." Snow puts a hand over her mouth to muffle the gasp.

"Shh, Em." Graham took a chance at using the nickname. He rocks her back and forth as her breathing rate increases in an effort to not cry. "She's here now, it's okay."

"And the worst part is is that I don't know if I want her or my mother." Emma grits out, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears and nausea.

"Why don't you take your mind off of it and tell me the rest of the story?"

"Okay." She takes a few calming breaths. "Okay. Um, she got acquitted when Kathryn reappeared. After that, things were okay. I mean, Regina and I were still having our rift or whatever, but it was kind of okay. Oh, and before that she and I got kidnapped by Jefferson."

"Remind me to have a word with him when we get back." Graham temporarily fumes.

"I hit him on the head with a telescope and Mary Margaret kicked him out of a third story window, so I think he's taken care of." She smiles, then frowns. "And Henry died."

"He _what_!?"

"He's fine now, I saved him with true love's kiss or something." She shrugs. "Anyway, we should find the wood." She gets up and swipes at a stray tear. "We're looking for big sticks, right?"

"In your terms, yes." Graham chuckles. "Big sticks."

* * *

The group reconvenes twenty minutes later. Snow lays the stones on the grass for the fire pit while Mulan searches for bigger rocks to start the fire with.

"What can I do?" Aurora asks.

"Nothing." The Asian answers.

"We should probably take watches." Snow says.

"I'll go first." The princess volunteers. "I think I've slept enough for a _long_ time."

"I'll take second." Emma offers.

"Third." Graham actually wants to stay up with Emma, but knows everyone will get more rest if the watch time is less. At least they'll overlap and be able to say hi.

"Fourth." Mulan says.

"I guess I'll last, then." Snow smiles.

"Let's set up the tents."

"Graham and I will take one." Emma can't think the words through before they come flying out. "It makes the most sense." Snow ignores the way her heart clenches. She had been hoping for some alone time with her daughter.

"That's fine with me." He agrees.

"Oh, crap." Mulan mutters.

"What?"

"One of the tent poles is missing. We'll have to go find a stick. Why doesn't Aurora and Snow stay here to get the fire going?"

"Okay." Aurora chirps, happy to be doing something helpful. At least, that's what she thinks. In reality, Snow is just babysitting her.

"You're looking for a branch like this." Mulan holds up one of the poles, about five feet high. "You and Graham can go together if you want."

"You'll be okay by yourself?" He asks. It's a genuine question and he really cares, but Mulan gives him an _oh please_ look.

"Alrighty, then." Emma heads off in the same direction as earlier. Graham walks by her side.

* * *

Graham and Emma approach the clearing, but she holds up a hand to stop him. It's eerily quiet. Slowly, she creeps forward, and the sight in front of her nearly stops her heart. Aurora has a knife at Snow's throat, and Mulan is just joining the women. Snow flips Aurora, and for a moment Emma smiles before remembering the dire situation at hand. Mulan pulls out a sword, and she doesn't know what their plan is. So, she takes out her gun and fires a round into the air. Then she points it at them.

"Stop!"

"Emma!" Graham hisses.

"What did you do?" For the first time since they got there, Snow looks scared. This in itself scares Emma, and then a low grumbling resonates through the clearing.

"I was protecting you." Emma says as they approach the three. More grumbling.

"Ogres! Run!" Snow shrieks. She takes off sprinting, and Emma follows her, followed by Graham. Because of the crashing of the ogre's footsteps, the blonde's companions don't hear her when she trips. She shoots at the beast, but it doesn't even scratch it. This at least alerts Snow and Graham. Just when she thinks she's a goner, Snow appears. "Hey! Step away from _my daughter_!" With that, she shoots an arrow and the ogre falls. Graham helps her to her feet. She scrambles up, speechless. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Emma nods breathlessly. "Yeah, I— I'm sorry. I was just trying to protect you, and—"

"Next time, listen to me." Snow doesn't sound mad or scolding, just concerned and slightly amused. "I know about this kind of stuff." The blonde doesn't know how to respond, so she changes the subject.

"How'd you know you'd hit it?"

"I didn't. I guess it's like riding a bike."

"We should probably teach you." Graham holds out his own bow and arrows. Emma picks up her broken gun.

"I guess, since this is broken." Snow and Graham share a smile.

**SO, AS PROMISED, THERE'S CHAPTER TWO! NEXT UP: ARCHERY LESSONS.**


	3. Arrows and Tents

**THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE REVIEWS! YOU GUYS REALLY ARE THE BEST READERS –AND I MEAN IT! I DID SOME BASIC RESEARCH ABOUT ARCHERY, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW ACCURATE WIKIPEDIA IS.**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Snow demonstrates the proper stance when shooting an arrow.

"Your feet should be shoulder width apart, with your feet drawing a straight line to the target." She instructs.

"Like shooting a gun?" Emma does as told.

"Exactly." Graham smiles.

"Let's just practice getting a feel of it, and how to draw it." Snow hands her the bow. "Bows here, in the Enchanted Forest, aren't as heavy or complicated as they are in the other world. It's pretty simple, actually."

"Yeah, for you." Emma scoffs. "You've been doing this for how long?"

"I don't even know. Raise the bow and draw the arrow." The blonde does what she's seen on TV.

"No, not like that." Snow chuckles. "Three fingers by the feathers."

"Okay." Emma lets the string go slack as she adjusts her fingers. "Like this?"

"Perfect." Graham stands behind her, his breath tickling her neck.

"Now pull back–" Snow gets cut off by the hunter.

"And _let go_." He whispers seductively. Momentarily distracted by her –well, boyfriend? Love interest?– Emma's fingers slip off the arrow before she wants them to. The arrow flies into the ground in front of a tree.

* * *

"Dammit, Graham." She hisses, and the ex–Sheriff laughs, amused. "I could've hit you." She then smiles.

"You never miss."

"Actually, she just did." Snow kills the moment that she's oblivious to. Not that she'd care too much anyway, if she did know. Her daughter being able to protect herself is far more important.

"He distracted me." Emma huffs.

"Never," He pulls her into a light choke hold. "Let your opponent distract you." In one swift motion, Graham is on the ground, with Emma straddling him.'

"Never," the blonde mocks, "underestimate or assume anything about your opponent."

"Guys, are you okay?" Aurora asks, skidding to a stop at the scene in front of her. Instinctively, Mulan, who's trailing behind the princess, draws her sword.

"What did he do?" She barks.

"Nothing." Emma gets off of Graham with an eye roll. "We were just… it's nothing. They were just showing me how to shoot an arrow and it progressed into something else."

"Very well." Mulan nods curtly. "The tents are set up."

* * *

Graham and Emma lay in the tent, as far away as possible per the blonde's silent request.

"Emma, I can feel you shivering all the way from over here." He says.

"I'm fine." She flips from her back onto her left side, facing away from him.

"No, you're pushing me away because you're afraid I'm not real or I'm going to die again. I promise neither of those are the case."

"You're right." She says softly. "I'm terrified of _everything_, and it sucks. I want to be me again."

"That's never going to happen if you die from hypothermia." Graham insists. Emma sighs.

"When we get back, I'm buying a fur coat."

"I noticed you're wearing mine." He opens his arms as she scoots closer. He pulls her close.

"I –yeah." The blonde sighs again. "I changed it after we locked Regina up. I needed you. I missed you. I needed to feel safe." She admits, keeping her gaze away from his.

"You're safe now." He whispers. "You'll always be safe with me."

**I'M SORRY FOR ANOTHER REALLY SHORT CHAPTER. NORMALLY, I TRY TO MAKE THEM AT LEAST 1,000 WORDS, BUT WITH THIS STORY, I GUESS IT'S USUALLY GOING TO BE LESS THAN THAT. SOME CHAPTERS, WHERE I HAVE BETTER MATERIAL, MIGHT BE MORE. ANYWAY, THANKS FOR READING!**


	4. Fire Talk

**SORRY IT'S TAKEN ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I KINDA GOT SOME WRITER'S BLOCK. SO, FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST STUFF!**

**DON'T OWN IT.**

Mulan's cold, authoritative voice wakes Emma up far too early for her liking. Rubbing groggily at her eyes, the blonde looks around the small tent for Graham. When she doesn't see him, she immediately shoots up and practically runs out of the tent. The man in question is sitting around the fire next to Snow, roasting what Emma hopes is something close to sausage.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." He quips with a smile. Scoffing, Emma turns her head to Aurora. Realizing that no one got the joke, she sighs and settles herself next to Graham.

"What time is it?"

"A little after 6:00, judging by the sun." Snow answers. This causes Emma to do a double take.

"Well, at least no one was ogre kibble last night." Again, no one even cracks a smile. "O-kay, tough crowd. Is that by any chance edible?" She points to the piece of meat on the end of Graham's stick.

"It is, but I can't promise you'll like it." With a quick check to make sure it's golden all over, he hands her the stick.

"You'll have to eat it while we walk. We can't waste any more time." Mulan says in that annoying know it all voice of hers. She then begins to pack up a tent. Graham follows suit.

"How'd you sleep?" Snow scoots closer to the blonde, making Emma feel a little uncomfortable. She forces herself not to flinch away, though.

"Not as bad as my car." Emma shrugs, smelling the mystery meat. "God, this looks worse than school lunch."

"It's rabbit." Snow says.

"At least it's a normal animal." Wearily, the blonde takes a bite. "I guess since I don't have any other options it's not that bad. Not like I haven't been in a similar situation before." Just as the last sentence falls out of her mouth, she winces. She hadn't meant to say that.

"Wait, so you've been sucked through a portal into this world before?" Snow laughs. Good. Maybe she isn't reading too much into the statement.

"Does it seem like I have?" That comes out a litter harsher than she'd intended. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine. You're stressed. So if… oh. You mean you're referring to your time in the foster system." The brunette's face fell.

"Yeah." Emma whispers. Then, louder and stronger, "Look, it's not a big deal."

"But maybe I want to know about it."

"I don't think you do." She says, her voice quiet again, not in any way sarcastic or bitchy or rude or patronizing or fresh. Just sad.

"Let me decide that."

"Mary Margaret…" Emma sighs, and looks anywhere but at her mother. "My past is, well, you know. It's not pretty, and it's only going to hurt you. So let's do us both a favor and just leave it?"

"No." Snow's reply is confident. Even though the blonde isn't looking at her, her eyes still glow with absolution, telling anyone who spares them a glance that the woman won't take an answer other than 'yes'. Snow's tone gets Emma to turn her head back in her direction, and the blonde relents when she sees her mother's expression.

"Fine. You know what? When my foster family made something for dinner I didn't like, I either choked it down or didn't eat. You happy?" Emma says, her tone sharp and loud, but not enough that other people can hear. With that, she stomps away.

* * *

"So, what was your little outburst about?" Graham asks casually as they hike toward the castle –and not just any castle– Snow and Emma's _home_.

"Mary Margaret, or Snow or whatever, pushed a little too much. I don't like talking about my childhood. It's painful. I don't know why she can't just get that through her now-too-thick skull." The blonde clomps along, angrily avoiding roots that dare to cross her path.

"Because she wants to know you." He helpfully suggests. "The good and the bad. Not that there's anything bad about you." He quickly adds the last sentence.

"How much longer?" Aurora complains from the back.

"We should be seeing it any time now." Right on cue, Snow gasps at the beautiful sight before her. Sure, it's not as breathtaking as before, but… there, on the ridge, is her castle. "Let's go home."


End file.
